There is more to naming your business than just coming up with something that sounds good and you happen to like. Thought must be given to state and local requirements and making sure you do not infringe upon the rights of someone else’s business name.

Legal Requirements and Implications

Picking a name for your business requires much more than just creativity and a working knowledge of your target market. First, you will need to decide which business structure you will use, since each structure has its own peculiarities. For example, many states require a sole proprietor to use his own name for the business name unless he formally files another name as a trade name or fictitious name. Alternatively, some states will file your sole proprietorship under your own name, but allow for the use of another business name.

Similarly, you will need to determine whether your trade name will be the same as the full legal name of your business. Usually, this depends on what organization structure you choose. Of equal importance is finding out whether your name or a very similar name is being used by another business, and if so, what rights they may or may not have to use the name in the area where you do business. Keep in mind that some businesses only file trademarks within their locality, so it is possible that the same name can be used elsewhere.

Search and Registration

Trade names can be registered through your state’s Secretary of State office, and for wider marketplace protection, through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). You should first use the USPTO’s online system to search all state and federal trademark registers to see if your proposed name is being used.

Domain Names

For many businesses that operate on the Web, trade names are synonymous with some domain names. Domain names are not registered through state or local government; rather, they can be obtained through numerous online businesses, most of which will allow you to conduct a name search prior to purchase to make sure your chosen name is not taken.

Often, people register domain names as an investment. They do not intend to operate a business by the name, but are waiting for someone like you to come along and buy it from them for more than they paid.

With the rise of the Internet and the huge growth in online businesses, there is now a myriad of Business Opportunities available to people who would never have thought to start a business on the net.

There seem to be literally hundreds of new business opportunities coming onto the market every week – all of them promise to make the people who take them up vast sums of money with little or no work on the part of the buyer.

We all know that there is no guarantee of success when starting a new business, the statistics on traditional business starts shows that 9 out of every 10 new businesses fail within the first year. My guess is that new internet businesses have an even greater failure rate as the financial entry level is much lower and the take up rate is much higher.

There is no doubt that if you achieve success with an internet business then the level of that success can be dramatic and in some cases fantastic. It is this possible future success that encourages so many people to try their hand at new internet business opportunities.

So the question comes, which internet business should I choose and why? What criteria should we use to identify the best of the new internet business opportunities?

That’s a hard question to answer, but there are many pointers to consider when choosing which internet business to select. I will outline the main qualities that make up the most successful internet businesses and which ones that the novice should consider:

Website:

This may seem an obvious point, but in almost all internet businesses you will need a website:

Are you provided with a website or are you required to create one?

Are you provided with the tools to create a website?

Can you change the website that is supplied?

How much will I be charged for website hosting?

Getting a website is only a very small part in making a successful internet business, you must be able to get targeted traffic to your site.

It is no good having the best website in the world if no one knows about it.

Internet Marketing – getting traffic:

This is a huge subject in its own right and there are many experts and companies that have invested millions of dollars into this field. However for our purpose it is necessary to know:

Am I provided with any Internet Marketing training?

Does the company teach me the basics of getting traffic to my site?

Is my site already configured for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?

Does the company make it clear that I may have to pay to get targeted visitors to my site?

Does the company help with getting traffic to the site?

How will I get prospects for my products?

As well as getting targeted traffic to the site, you will also need to know how to ‘sell’ your products to prospective customers and to convert visitors to your site into paying customers.

Internet Marketing – converting traffic into sales:

The best websites automatically convert targeted visitors into customers, they do this in a number of ways:

How good is the sales copy on your new website?

If you surfed the site, would you buy its products?

What are the products, how much do they cost and what is the profit margin?

What methods of conversion are used (static, audio, video etc)?

Does the site automatically follow up on enquiries?

Do they use autoresponders to automate this process?

Products:

One of the most important aspects of any internet business is what products you are selling and how exclusive they are:

How exclusive are your products and are they sold at competitive prices?

How are they shipped to the customer? How does the customer pay for the goods (credit card, wire transfer etc)?

What is the after sales process?

What is the process for customer complaints?

Is the business Replicable?

This really is one of the key questions, just because the owner or creator of the internet business is very successful it doesn’t necessarily follow that you will be too.

One of the key questions is – can this business be replicated by me?

This really gets to the point, because all of the questions above will lead to knowing the answer to this last question:

If I buy this business, then can I make a success of it?

I have been involved in many internet businesses throughout the last 5 years and through sometimes bitter experience and sometimes fantastic success, I have learned how to set up and be successful at new internet businesses I set up and operate.

Hopefully, this article will point you towards asking the questions that will enable you to make a decision on what your thought process should be when considering a new internet business opportunity.

I sincerely wish you all the success in world, because if you choose right, it can really change your life.

Are you fed up with your boss, with commuting to-and-fro your work place, about the unreasonable demands your boss keeps piling on you? If the answer is yes, then it is time you considered shifting from the 9 to 5 job to regular work at home options. This is a possibility that many are voluntarily taking nowadays and you can use it too. There is nothing to it, really; anyone can do it as it has been proven again and again. In fact, the Internet is replete with success stories from 13 year olds, which amply proves that if you really want it, you can be a great success, too.

What do you need before you take up work at home with the help of Internet? You need to have strong will power, as working for yourself is not the same as working for an establishment. Many people who are excellent with a 9 to 5 job fail when they shift gears and work full time at home. The main reason behind this is that they are not able to stay focused on the task they have at hand. When you are your own boss, you need to be as demanding of yourself as your boss would have been so you could achieve the goals you set out for yourself with the same zest and dedication as you would have done if you were working for someone else.

What really happens is that you tend to take it easy. For example, you find a great program on TV, you choose to see that instead of finishing your tasks for the day; or you could choose to make an elaborate meal for your spouse and children, or simply laze around. Procrastination is your worst enemy when you work at home. Be careful about it, nip it in the bud and do not allow it to envelop your habits. It is okay to set comfortable work hours for yourself; after all this is one of the main reasons why people actually choose this type of work. However, this does not mean you work only when you feel like it.

In fact, many find that work at home is actually more demanding than a 9 to 5 job where you do not have to worry about the outcome. Whatever happens, at the end of the month you have a check in your hands. When you work for yourself, this aspect cannot be taken for granted. Your check would be in most cases commensurate to the work you have put in. You want to know whether you are made for it or not? Never quit your job if you have a regular one. Try shifting in gradually.

Take up your Internet assignment or business and see how it suits you. Are you able to enjoy doing it? Are you able to stay focused and organized about it? Is it paying the type of dividends you expected? Are the results worth the time and effort investment you are making? If the answer to these questions is affirmative, then you are ready to take up work at home.